The Child Safety minister says the number of young children in state care is rising, following government comments made in response to a damning report about the state’s children in care system. Multiple outlets report that the government’s response is delivered after the findings prompted renewed scrutiny of how the child protection system is supporting children. While the articles focus on the minister’s disclosure of how many children are in care, they also frame the announcement as part of the government’s reaction to the report’s criticism. The coverage indicates that the minister provides updated figures for children in state care, particularly among younger age groups, and uses this information to address concerns raised by the report. Across the sources, there is agreement that the government’s statement comes on Thursday and that it is directly connected to the release of the report. The articles do not align on additional policy details in the provided excerpts, but they consistently characterize the report as severe and the minister’s disclosure as a response to the concerns raised about the system’s performance.